Death of a Prisoner at Clinton Correctional Facility

A recent investigation by The New York Times into the death of a prisoner, Leonard Strickland, at Clinton Correctional Facility reveals a savage beating by correction officers, horrifying indifference to the prisoner’s condition by medical personnel, lying by the corrections officers involved, and a total absence of any sanctions or systemic response. The biggest shock comes from the claim that a handcuffed and viciously beaten prisoner was a continuing threat or presented a potential for escape that justified the physical abuse and indifference that led to his death. Could a group of correction officers actually be “afraid” of a handcuffed and unresponsive inmate or “fear” that such a prisoner would try to escape? One can only ask if this is the same “fear” that is used to justify recent police shootings of unarmed and sometimes fleeing individuals.